After undoubtedly weeping tears of joy last month when their heartthrob "American Idol" contestant Sam Woolf, 18, was saved by the judges, another wave of waterworks was surely spilled tonight as the teen was eliminated.

But he almost dodged this bullet too, as an "Idol" twist allowed the final five to anonymously vote on whether the lowest vote-getter should go home this week, or keep everyone together and eliminate two next week.

Three voted to not send anyone home and two said no. Since the vote wasn't unanimous the process went down as usual and the ever-blushing kid got the boot.

Sam has come a long way on "Idol," morphing from a shy, rosy-cheeked kid into a blossoming rock star.

The fedora-wearing Florida teen was a judges' favorite wire-to-wire, earning their hearts with a cool rendition of Ed Sheeran's "Lego House" in his Boston audition.

But Sam struggled a bit in the live shows, taking a while to find confidence on the big stage.

His last few weeks were stronger, though. Covers of "Hey There, Delilah" last week and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" were more honest, comfortable showings. And Wednesday night’s “How to Save a Life” by The Fray was great. But the talent around him was also growing, and apparently, he was lost in the shuffle.

If the deafening screams of his female followers were any sign of things to come, Sam should be just fine in the music industry. His lovable supporter grandpa certainly believes he can do it.

Only four contestants — two guys and two girls — remain.

NOTES

• It's too bad that Sam went home after one of his best performances. Jessica should be thanking her stars that she gets to sing for another week. If she makes the top 3, heads will roll.

• There's a part of me that wishes the twist worked and they sent home two contestants next week. That would have been some serious drama.